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Atlantic Basin Hurricane Season

Starting off with a bang: Memorable June `A' tropical cyclones

June 19, 2005|By Tom Skilling

The Atlantic Basin hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30 but usually doesn't rev into high gear until late August and September. June tropical cyclones tend to develop in the western Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, where early season water temperatures tend to be higher and upper winds lighter than in other parts of the Atlantic Basin. Tropical Storm Arlene was no exception, forming just north of Honduras on June 8. Though Arlene was a minimal storm whose top winds of 70 m.p.h. never did reach hurricane strength (74 m.p.h. or higher), it did produce heavy rainfall and some minor storm-related damage. Other June "A" tropical cyclones have become much more formidable storms causing considerable death and destruction--enough in three cases to warrant retirement of their names. These three storms are hurricanes Audrey (1957) and Agnes (1972), and Tropical Storm Allison (2001)--the only tropical storm to ever achieve retirement status.